


Occupational Hazard

by Dragongoddess13



Series: The Perfect Daughter [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alpha Remus Lupin, Alternate Universe, Eventual Wolfstar - Freeform, F/M, M/M, hermione is remus' daughter, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:21:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28693137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragongoddess13/pseuds/Dragongoddess13
Summary: “I’m a father.” the words roll off his tongue, his breath short, thoughts racing, a part of him wonders if he actually said it out loud. His knees give out, the sofa catching him half way to the floor.The one where Hermione is Remus' Daughter
Relationships: Hermione Granger & Remus Lupin, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Series: The Perfect Daughter [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2103183
Comments: 18
Kudos: 116





	1. A Father's Duty

Occupational Hazard

The Perfect Daughter Series 

Story 2

Chapter 1: A Father’s Duty

xXx

“I’m a father.” the words roll off his tongue, his breath short, thoughts racing, a part of him wonders if he actually said it out loud. His knees give out, the sofa catching him half way to the floor. It’s only just hitting him now, despite the near three hours he spent in Helen’s house. 

“Are you sure?” Lily’s voice is not the comfort that it usually is. He doesn’t blame her for that though. This isn’t something she can solve with kind words spoken softly amongst friends.

“Moony is.” he replies immediately. And that’s the whole of it. The only reason he felt no doubt at the revelation. Not that he thought Helen would lie about it, but he barely knew her, their’s having been a quick trist one night in muggle London almost two years earlier. She had loved talking to him about muggle literature and he had loved having someone to talk to who didn’t know who he was, what he was. Silence settles over the room until finally, suffering under the weight of it, Sirius asks; 

“What’s she like?” 

Remus looks up at him, never more grateful for his friend. “Perfect.” he breathes, finally getting to say what’s been eating at him since he laid eyes on the little girl that morning. “She’s absolutely perfect.” he tells them. They all smile. “Her name is Hermione. Her mother couldn’t get a hold of me because of everything that was going on, but she kept trying and well… here we are.” 

“What are you going to do?” James asks.

What could he do? He couldn’t be a part of her life no matter how much he wanted to be. And that was the hardest part of all of this. The war against Voldemort may have been over, but Remus’ personal war was not, not so long as Fenrir Greyback stalked the night. The man had made it his mission to torment Remus since he came of age. He’d leaked it to the papers that he was a werewolf and the only thing that saved his job at Hogwarts was his newly minted title of War Hero and the fact that he’d played a part in killing Voldemort once and for all. 

Then there were the nights of the full moon. Usually they warded a section of the grounds of the Potter Manor in Godric’s Hollow, but since the end of the war they had to move to the basement of Grimmauld Place, newly left to Sirius and his brother, to avoid Greyback who had taken to pacing the edge of their wards. 

The fact of the matter was, if Greyback found out about Hermione, Remus had no doubt he would turn her just to hurt him and he couldn’t allow that. He wouldn’t allow it. 

“There’s nothing I can do.” Remus says unable to hide the hurt and anguish. “She’s not safe with me. Not with Greyback out there.”

“We can protect her Remus.” Sirius replies, and he sounds so sure that Remus almost believes it’s possible. But he knows better. Greyback is an alpha, has been for over two decades. He’s too strong for Remus and he’s sure he’d be too strong for his friends as well. No, the best chance to keep his daughter safe is to keep his distance, never let Greyback suspect that there might be someone out there he can hurt to get to Remus. 

xXx

Unfortunately for Remus his desire to keep her safe isn’t enough. Two months later, he finds himself fighting against the wards as Moony senses danger. He doesn’t know why they let the wards down, he will ask later, but as soon as the barrier is down he takes off, running as fast as he can for the ivy covered house in Heathgate. 

The front door is broken in, and the metallic tang of blood hits his nose as he steps through. On the floor at the bottom of the stairs is Richard Granger, Helen’s fiance. He was a good man, Remus could tell instantly, and it was more than obvious that he and Helen were meant to be. Most importantly he had been a good father to Hermione, taking the news that she might not be normal rather well all things considered.

Remus hears the snarl of a wolf and bolts up the stairs, finding Greyback standing over the limp bloody body of Helen outside the closed nursery door. Remus growls, drawing the larger wolf’s attention. His massive head whips around, blood dripping from his maw. The skin over his teeth pulls back in an approximation of a feral grin. As if Remus isn’t even there, Greyback turns his attention on the door, throwing himself at it, but it doesn’t give, much to his frustration. Remus catches a whiff of a familiar scent as he moves closer, Hermione’s mixed with...Lily?

Were he in a better state of mind he may have thought harder on it, but Greyback’s frustration was distracting the alpha and Remus knew this was his only chance. Letting Moony take hold, his consciousness slipping to the background, instinct leading them. 

xXx

Remus wakes to the biting chill of a late December morning. The morning after the full moon has always been a difficult day for him, but as he shifts his muscles, he finds himself without the usual aches and pains that come with the change. He’s tired though, and the soreness he usually feels is replaced by a stinging pain. 

He opens his eyes, sitting up with more ease than he expected and inspects himself. His pale skin is littered with new bites and cuts, caked with dried blood. He looks like he just stepped out of one of those Muggle horror movies James and Sirius love so much. 

“The new alpha wakes.” a woman’s voice cuts across his attention and he startles, turning to find a woman in a partial state of undress a few feet away. She’s older, much older than him and as she slips on her trousers, he catched the scar of a bite on her ankle. 

“What?” he questions, confused. Not his most articulate response but it’s pretty damn good all things considered. He studies her face and soon recognizes her as one of Greyback’s oldest packmates. They’d met in the brief time Remus had spent undercover in the Wolf Pack trying to discover the best way to turn them to Dumbledore’s cause. Her name was Emma and she had always been kind to him in her own gruff sort of way. 

“Give it time, it’ll all come back to you. Memories like that always take a bit of time when you let the wolf take over.” she explains. She finishes dressing and sighs. “I let Greyback turn me a long time ago.” she tells him. “But I never did care for him. So I’m going to throw my lot in with you. You beat him, you're the alpha now. You seem like a good man. I’ll get everyone to fall in line, and you don’t make me regret it.”

Remus nods dumbly and she walks away with an amused scoff, muttering something about “kids these days”. 

Remus gets to his feet and looks around the field. He watches Emma go to each body and wake them, none too gently, and they each get up, fishing clothes from under rocks and holes hidden in the ground by tall grass. It’s only then that he remembers his own clothing in the basement of Grimmauld Place. He curses under his breath. Someone laughs off in front of him and he looks up to find three men, two older, one younger, walking with Emma toward him. 

“Looks like he’s finally got the sense to remember he’s naked.” one of the older men laughs. He resists the urge to cover himself, Moony screaming at him to remember his dominance over them.

“Nothing to hide from what I can see.” the second of the older men replies, and they laugh again, oblivious to Emma as she rolls her eyes. 

“You remember Joffrey and Benni?” she asks. He nods and they shake hands. Joffrey and Benni had been a part of Greyback’s inner circle for as long as Emma, if he remembered correctly. The young man beside them looked to be school age, maybe seventeen. He stood nervously shifting from foot to foot, eyes to the ground. 

“And you are?” Remus asks, startling the young boy into looking up. He immediately averts his eyes after the initial shock. 

“Ralphie sir.” he replies, his voice shaking a bit. Remus looks at the others, all of them showing some semblance of concern for the boy. 

Emma notices his stare first. “Ralphie here is Greyback’s latest turn.” Translation, his latest punching bag and most likely unwilling turn. “Dragged him in from the streets around Canary Wharf.” 

“Family?” Remus asks him as another member of the pack, an older woman named Mia? Mya?, approaches. She hands him a pair of pants and he thanks her, slipping them on. They’re a bit big, but beggars can’t be choosers.

“No family sir.” 

“Greyback kept him between moons.” Emma explains, her tone leaving little doubt how much she didn’t like that. “Now that’s he gone, I’ll take him.” the look in her eyes tells him she’ll fight him if he says no, but Remus has no intention of saying no. 

“Good, I need to get home. I’m certain a friend got to my daughter before Greyback, but I can’t leave it up to chance.” 

“Understood.” Joffrey replies. “As the new pack leader, you may want to consider gathering the pack before the next moon, give’em a talking to, lay out your plans for us.” 

“Do you have a place you all usually meet?” 

Emma nods. “Benni here owns a bar right around the corner from the Leaky’s London entrance.”

“Next Saturday evening. Nine.” they don’t argue, silently agreeing. Emma turns from them and calls out for a young woman a few yards away. The woman turns and jogs up to them. 

“This is Tamera.” she introduces. Remus nods in greeting as Emma turns to the woman. “Our new Alpha is without his wand, apparate him home?” 

“Yes Ma’am.” She replies a little to cheerily for this early in the morning. Remus gives her the coordinates for Godric’s Hollow. He thanks her as they land. “You’ve certainly got better manners than the last one.” she says cheekily, grinning as he steps away. 

Remus chuckles, finding her good nature infectious. “I’m not sure the last one knew the meaning of the word, much less how to spell it.” 

Tamera laughs high and sweet and Remus finds himself smiling as she apparates away. 

xXx

Potter Manor is quiet as he steps through the door. It’s still early and given the excitement the night before he wouldn’t be surprised to find everyone still asleep. He was, however, surprised to find them all asleep in the sitting room. 

Sirius, ever the light sleeper for reasons he tries not to dwell on, wakes when Remus steps on a particularly creaky floorboard. Eyes widening as he catches sight of him, he’s up and across the room, waking the others with his quick movement. 

“Bloody hell mate, you look-”

“Hermione?” Remus cuts him off. 

“Upstairs in Harry’s room.” Lily explains. 

“Is she alright?” 

“She didn’t particularly like apparating, but I put her in one of your old sweaters and she calmed right down.” 

He doesn’t want to think about how much that thought means to him. “Greyback is dead.” he finally speaks up, finding no easier way to say it. 

“You killed him?” James asks, not in the least bit accusingly. Remus nods. “That makes you the alpha now doesn’t it?” 

“Yes, but that’s a conversation for later.” he replies. “I take it the Ministry knows about the Grangers?” 

“Yeah,” James nods. “They called us, actually. Someone tipped them off that Greyback was going after a child with a connection to the pack. Moody figured out it was you and called Lily, who called Regulus.”

“Reggie let the wards down when you started fighting against them, that’s why you were able to escape the house.” Sirius continues. 

“I apparted to the house just as he got Helen. I sealed the door.”

“That’s why it wouldn’t open?” Remus asks. She nods. “Where were the aurors, there was no one there?”

“We’re short handed because of the war.” James explains. “Moody called the order to help, but it still took everyone time to get there. We all made it just as Moony was chasing Greyback out of the house.” 

“I made it back to the pack grounds.” Remus explains. “I guess that’s where we fought. Everyone said I killed him.”

“You didn’t see his body?” Lily questions.

Remus grimaced. “There probably isn’t much of him left if Moony’s rage was anything to go by.” he shakes himself of the thoughts. “I need to see Hermione.”

He makes a move toward the stairs, only for Lily to cut him off. “You need a shower first.” she tells him. He opens his mouth to argue, but she carries on. “You’re filthy and covered in blood.” Remus looks down at himself as if he didn’t already know that. “You don’t want her to see you like this.” she’s right, he doesn’t. “Sirius brought your clothes over. You get cleaned up, we’ll heal those wounds and then we’ll wake the kids for breakfast.” 

Remus nods dumbly, Moony snickering about “The Real Alphas” in the back of his mind. 

xXx

Lily was right of course. Lily is always right. He feels infinitely better fresh from the shower. The claw and bite marks are fairly deep, but they mostly take up the space on his torso. He manages to fix up the ones on his legs on his own so he can put his pants on, then he heads downstairs, shirt in hand for Lily to do the rest. It takes all of an hour and by the time she’s done, the children are waking on their own. 

Remus feels nervous as he follows Lily up the stairs. Hermione had been happy to meet him two months ago, spending most of the afternoon showing him all her favorite toys and sitting next to him like he was her new best friend, but that was two months ago, before he all but vanished from her life with no intention of returning. What if she knew, what if she knew all of this was his fault?

“Remus.” Lily stops outside Harry’s door. “Stop panicking. Kids are like wolves; they can smell fear.” she grinned at the terror that crosses his face. 

“Is that supposed to help?” he asks. 

“No.” she grins, opening the door and flipping on the light. 

Hermione and Harry are both sitting up in the crib, babbling back and forth at each other. “Oh, are we best friends already?” Lily asks, drawing their attention. Harry grins as she reaches in, scooping him up, but Remus’ attention is focused solely on the little girl beside him and hers on him. They stare for a moment before Hermione grins, stumbling to her feet and reaching out for him over the bars. She babbles, clinging to him as he pulls her out, his sweater like an oversized dress on her. He doesn’t even notice Lily walk out as he stands there holding her, tears silently slipping down his cheeks. 


	2. Fatherly Love

Occupational Hazard

The Perfect Daughter Series

Story 2

Chapter 2: Fatherly Love

xXx

Hermione is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to him. He decides that around lunch that same day. 

“You don’t look at all like you normally do after the full moon.” Sirius tells him. 

“Honestly, with the exception of being tired from lack of sleep, and hungry, I feel amazing.” Hermione looks up at him from her place on his knee, a dinosaur shaped chicken nugget clutched in her little fist. She grins as if she knows what they’re talking about, taking a bite of the nugget and looking back down. “No aches and pains, no sore muscles. It’s like when we became a pack, but much stronger.” 

“Speaking of packs.” James says. “I know it’s barely been a day, but there’s a lot of political things to worry about running a pack. Any idea what you're going to do?” 

“Well, Professor Binns had me do research for extra credit on werewolf politics while we were in school, right around the time they tried to pass that ban. From what I remember, as an Alpha I have a seat on the Wizengamot, the only problem is, I can’t claim it if any of my pack remains unregistered.” 

“Registration makes their identities public knowledge.” 

“I know.” Remus replies, sipping his tea. 

“Do you think they’ll go for it?” Sirius asks. 

“I don’t know. We’re meeting the day after Christmas to discuss my plans for the pack. I intend to get their input. I won’t force anyone to register if they don’t want to.”

“You know who you should talk to?” Sirius continues. “Reggie. You know he just got promoted to Junior Solicitor at The Bones and McCreary Lawfirm. They’re known for their work with magical creature protections. I bet he could answer any questions the pack has.” 

Remus nods. “I’ll do that.” 

“Sooner rather than later.” Lily speaks up as she enters the room, plopping the Prophet on the table beside his plate. The headline screams at him; 

**GREYBACK ATTACKS MUGGLE FAMILY**

“Well they didn’t waste any time did they?” James asks. Harry coos in his highchair next to him and he turns to hand him a cookie. 

“Listen to this.” Sirius replies, reading over Remus’ shoulder. 

“Britain's Pack Alpha, Fenrir Greyback (45) broke into the home of a muggle couple late last night. Aurors arrived in time to prevent him from hurting their young child, however, the couple did not survive. Greyback was chased from the house by Hogwarts Defense Against The Dark Arts Teacher, War Hero and Order of Merlin recipient, Remus Lupin (22). The wearabout of both men are unknown at this time. The child has been placed with relatives.” 

“Gotta love how they're falling all over themselves all of a sudden to treat you the way they always should have.” Lily scoffs. 

“Give it time, the shine’ll wear off.” Remus replies. He reaches out to stop Hermione from pulling the paper off the table. He knows she can’t read it of course, but the animated photo accompanying the front page article is of Aurors removing her mother’s body on a stretcher and quite frankly he’d rather she not see that. He passes the paper across the table to James who folds it in half and sets it on the hutch behind him.

“Want me to give Reggie a call?” Sirius asks. 

“Would you?” 

Sirius nods finishing his lunch in one large bite before standing from the table and disappearing into the hall. Remus looks down to find Hermione somewhere between slack jawed and horrified at the display. 

“I know love, the man’s an animal.” Remus tells her as Lily snorts into her tea.

She clears her throat. “How are you handling this by the way?” she asks, gesturing to the little girl on his knee. 

“Honestly I’m trying not to think about it.” he tells her. “I have no idea what I’m doing. I live at the school, do I need to find somewhere else to live? She’s legally mine, but what legal hoops am I going to have to jump through with Helen’s family or the Ministry.”

“Lucky for you, your best friend's brother is a solicitor.” Regulus’ voice cuts through the conversation and they turn to see Sirius lead the young Black brother in. 

“That was fast.” James says as they both take a seat.

“Yes well, I was in a meeting with the senior partners when I got Sirius’ owl. Needless to say, they're excited at the prospect of the wolf pack becoming a client.” Regulus sighs. “Why don’t we start with Hermione though. That should be the simplest of all of it.” Remus nods. “Now, there’s no registration required for her, but you will have to consult with the Ministry’s CPS department to coordinate with the Muggle one. They’ll do the heavy lifting with the Muggles to ensure her mother’s family won’t try to claim her, if there is anyone. Whether you think so or not, she’s more than likely better off with you, especially if she turns out to be magical.” 

Remus doesn’t argue. At this point he’s not sure he could give her up to someone else even if she would be better off. He feels a tug on his lapel and looks down to find Hermione staring up at him with her beautiful brown eyes. The idea that he now exists solely to make sure this little girl is happy and healthy hits him so hard he feels the air knocked from his lungs. What deity designed to bless a monster like him with something so beautiful. 

They spend the rest of the afternoon discussing options for both himself and the pack and Remus invites Regulus to join him at the meeting the following week. He accepts, ensuring him that he’ll keep everything off the books until the Pack has made a decision. As it stands no one but the pack and Remus’ family knows Greyback is dead. Should anyone get wind that Remus is the new alpha before he’s ready to announce the pack’s position to Wizarding Britain, he’ll have to contend with reporters and politicians alike. 

When they're done, Regulus leaves and Remus takes Hermione upstairs with him to have a nap before dinner. 

xXx

“Do you think he’s going to be alright?” Lily asks, concern lacing her tone. If not for his sensitive hearing he might not have heard her from outside the kitchen where she, James and Sirius are working on dinner. 

“I think he’s going to be fine.” Sirius says with such bravado that Remus actually believes he will be. “I mean did you see him with her. He was meant to be a father.” 

“I don’t dispute that, Sirius, but this is the easy part. Wait until she throws her first tantrum or starts crying for no reason. I have no doubt he’s a wonderful father, but he’s taking on a lot of responsibilities all at once and I’m worried about him spreading himself too thin.” 

“Then we’ll be sure we’re there for him, won’t we?” James replies. “If anyone can handle all of this it’s Remus. Despite everything he’s probably the most well adjusted of all of us.”

“Terrifying thought.” Remus cuts in, pushing through the swinging door. They startle, and he smirks at the guilty looks. “Relax, I appreciate the concern.” he tells them. “Honestly, I could use your help now.” he continues, setting a sleepy Hermione in the second high chair next to an equally sleepy Harry. He doesn’t question where the second high chair came from, chalking it up to his friends, once again, having his back. 

“What do you need?” 

Remus huffs a laugh. “I have no idea.” he replies. “I have no idea what she needs. I know nothing of her health history, I don’t know what she likes to eat. I only have what Lily managed to get out of the house. No crib, no toys, nothing.”

“Did you sleep at all?” Sirius asks, watching his friend gesture erratically, the panic finally setting in. 

“No! I was too busy thinking about all the things I don’t have for her.” 

Remus gives them credit, they do a hell of a job not laughing at him. 

“Well, I talked to Moody a few hours ago. The house should be ready for you to go in and get her things by morning.” James explains. 

“In the meantime,” Lily continues. “We can transfigure a crib and there should be enough clothes for her for another day or two.” 

“As for everything else,” Sirius speaks up. “Reggie is taking care of it as we speak. Deep breaths mate, you’re doing fine.” 

Remus collapses into a chair with a heavy sigh, dropping his head in his hands. He feels a patting against his shoulder and looks over to find Hermione trying to comfort him. She grins when she sees him look up at her. 

“Everything is going to be alright Remus.” Lily says softly and staring up at his daughter, he actually believes it. 


	3. Passing Years

Occupational Hazard

The Perfect Daughter Series

Story 2

Chapter 3: Passing Years

xXx

On Hermione’s third birthday everything seems to have fallen into place. Remus convinced the pack to register, allowing him to take the seat on the Wizengamot. The move surprised many, but there was hope from most of the country that this would lead to good things in this new era of post war peace. 

A few days after taking Hermione in, Remus went back to Hogwarts to talk to McGonagall and Dumbledore about her. He was pointed in the direction of one of the cottages outside of Hogsmeade where some of the younger professors from Hogwarts passed had lived with their families. At the moment he and Hermione were the only ones there, but he didn’t mind. The quiet was nice. Hermione seemed to like it as well, and in the end that’s all the mattered to him. 

For her birthday, everyone piled into the little cottage. James, Lily and Harry. Sirius and Regulus, Professor McGonagall, who’d taken a shine to little Hermione and various other members of the order, even Dumbledore popped in for a bit. Hermione was spoiled and loved the whole day. She was ladened with gifts and fawned over and spent most of the day running from one person to the next when they called her attention. Exhausted from the day, she passed out shortly after everyone left, leaving Remus to tuck her in before going back to clean up the cottage. 

Throughout her time with Remus, he works on continuing the education Helen had started, so by the time Hermione is four she’s devouring books left and right. In fact, other than a few odds and ends here and there, it’s all she wants for birthdays and holidays. She amasses so many books that Remus converts the cellar into a library where both of their collections can reside. 

When Hermione is five, Lily goes back to work at St. Mungo’s leaving Remus without a babysitter for the times he’s in class. It’s Regulus who convinces him to bond with a house elf. He’s hesitant at first, not sure how he feels about another creature in his home, but he knows with care and respect any house elf he bonds with will be far better off than Kreacher ever was. 

So he goes through the process and finds a young female elf named Marnie. She’s sweet and kind and takes care of both of them like a doting matron. She takes no one’s crap, sassing Sirius on multiple occasions and Hermione loves her, which is good enough for Remus, but Remus himself finds he rather enjoys the young elf’s presence as well. 

At six, Remus discovers the heartbreaking news that Hermione is terrified of heights. He and James take Harry and Hermione up on their brooms, only for James to notice the little girl's eyes screwed shut, her knuckles nearly white as she clutches the broomstick. They land and while she makes a valiant effort not to cry, she ends up clutched to Remus’ lapels, tears streaming down her cheeks as she tries not to make any more noise than a sniffle. He asks her later why she didn’t tell him she didn’t want to go, and she tells him she didn’t want to disappoint him. He tells her that there is nothing she can do to disappoint him, he loves her too much for that. 

Somewhere between six and seven, Sirius buys Hermione and Harry leather jackets and boots. Harry loves them, but not as much as the quidditch jersey he got from his Uncle Padfoot for his last birthday. Hermione on the other hand is in love and quickly bonds with Sirius over his record collection. Soon enough records and a vintage stereo join the books in their library. He might be a bit put out by her new interests if she didn’t look so cute in her black leather jacket and her favorite pink tutu, bopping her head to Freddie Mercury while she reads up on her latest interests. 

At seven, Remus realizes that time is flying by far too quickly. So the next summer, before she turns eight, the marauders head to the coast, where Hermione falls in love with the ocean. She sits on the sand and stares out at the waves like it’s the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen. She builds sand castles and falls asleep on her towel, too exhausted after each day of fun to walk back to the little beach house they’ve rented. At the end of the week it’s hard to tear her away from the coast, but he promises it won’t be the last time they go. 

Remus tries to keep Hermione from the school as much as possible, not for any concern over her safety, or because he’s embarrassed, but rather because he wants her first time walking through those doors to mean something. He’s already decided they’ll stay with Sirius the night before she boards the express for the first time, determined that she will have the chance to enjoy Hogwarts in the same way he did. She’ll have all her Hogwarts first like everyone else in her class and they will be just as special to her as his firsts were for him. 

Between the ages of nine and eleven, Remus prays for time to stop. Before long Hermione will be off to school and while he’ll still get to see her everyday, he’ll not get to come home to her to hear all about the things the tutors taught her or to listen to records while she reads and he grades papers. They won’t be able to pop in on Sirius for a surprise trip into the city or spend Saturdays walking through the hills. 

He does what he can to appreciate every moment but he’s equally heartbroken and proud to watch her grow a little bit each day. Several times over he asks himself if this is what Helen would have wanted for Hermione. Would she have been happy with the way Hermione was growing up? He hopes it is. He tells Hermione everything he can about her mother, shows her pictures and even gives her the necklace Helen’s sister told him was passed down from their mother. They try to visit her mother’s family as much as they can, but they’re scattered around Europe and they don’t get around as often as Remus thinks Helen would have liked. 

The summer Harry turns eleven, Remus gathers Hermione into the floo and together they make their way into Diagon Alley. They’ve been here numerous times before, but today is special, today his little girl gets her wand. Ten and three quarters, vine wood with a dragon heartstring core. It practically sings in her hand and she’s so excited she barely stops to breath as she rambles on and on about it. Remus merely smiles, taking in every word as they make their way around, gathering the rest of her supplies. 

“One last stop before we meet the others for lunch.” Remus tells her as he leads her down the road away from the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione smiles as they stop in front of the Magical Menagerie. 

“Really?” she asks, eyes wide with excitement. 

“Yes, well you can’t start school without a proper companion, now can you?” he asks and her grin widens. 

They peruse the cages and crates throughout the store, some of the animals skittering away from Remus as he passes. Hermione immediately turns away from them, a fact that is not lost on Remus. They browse the store for nearly thirty minutes before the shopkeeper asks if they're looking for anything in particular. Remus explains that Hermione needs a companion for school and the shopkeeper looks her over as she stands beside her father. He looks pensive for a moment before he nods and turns on his heels, disappearing into the back and returning a moment later with a medium sized crate. 

“This little guy is a bit ornery, but he’s whip smart and very protective. His last owner died in the war and he hasn’t taken to anyone since.” he explains. Hermione stands on her tiptoes to see over the counter, peering into the cage. A squished orange face moves into the light and after a moment of staring at each other the fiery orange kneazle pads his way to the door and peers out at her. His eyes cut to Remus for a moment when he steps closer, but he seems wholly uninterested in the old werewolf, his attention focused only on Hermione. “Well, so far so good.” the shopkeeper says. He reaches around and opens the door and the cat peeks his head out, slowly making his way to the edge before jumping down into Hermione’s arms. He begins to purr a moment later and Hermione looks up at Remus excitedly. 

“Well I think that about wraps it up, doesn’t it?” Remus chuckles. 

The shopkeeper smiles. “I think so. Glad to see the old boy finally going to a good home.” 

Remus pays for the half-kneazle, whom the shopkeeper informs them is named Crookshanks, and whatever else they need for him before grabbing the crate and bags and following Hermione out of the shop. He lets her carry him around, too happy by the grin on her face to make her put him back in his carrier just yet. 

“What is that?” Sirius questions as they join them at a table in the Leaky. Beside him, Harry leans over a bit, squinting at Crookshanks. 

“His name is Crookshanks.” Hermione says, oblivious to Sirius and Harry’s discomfort. “Isn’t he adorable?”

“That’s a word for it. Ow.” James scowls at his wife. 

“He’s very cute Hermione.” Lily tells her, earning a grin in return. 

“What is it?” Harry asks, narrowly avoiding a pinch from his mother under the table. 

“He’s a half-kneazle. He’s my new familiar.” Hermione continues on excitedly. No one has the heart to comment after that. Hermione doesn’t like having to put him back in the carrier while they eat, but Remus reminds her he can run around the cottage all he wants when they get home. That appeases her enough that she only stops to check on him twice through lunch. 

They go home that night and because it’s finally hit him that his little girl is all grown up and ready to go off to school, he asks her to sit with him in the library. They read and listen to music and even have dinner at the little coffee table in the sitting area. He shares stories about his own Hogwarts days, telling her about the map he and her uncles created. He tells her the secret to navigating the stairs and all about the secret passages that he expects her not to abuse -too badly. He reminds her to always stand up for her classmates and friends, but to never let anyone walk all over her. And most importantly he makes sure she knows that whether he’s her teacher or not, he is her father first and he will be there for her if she needs him. 


End file.
